1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus and an image recording method for recording an image on a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is conventionally known an image recording apparatus configured to supply a recording medium such as a recording sheet from a sheet-supply tray by a sheet-supply roller and record an image by ejecting ink onto the supplied recording medium. In such an image recording apparatus, conveyance roller pairs convey the supplied recording medium, and a recording head mounted on a carriage reciprocable in a main scanning direction selectively ejects the ink onto the stopped recording medium to record an image thereon.
One type of the image recording apparatus includes an image recording apparatus including two sheet-supply trays and first and second sheet-supply rollers provided for the respective two sheet-supply trays and driven by one drive source (e.g., a drive motor) to selectively supply a sheet from one of the two sheet-supply trays. As the image recording apparatus of this type, there is known an image recording apparatus including a power transmission switching mechanism for switching power transmission to the first sheet-supply roller and the second sheet-supply roller.
Here, one example of this power transmission switching operation for the two sheet-supply rollers is explained. Initially, the carriage presses and slides a switching gear such that the switching gear takes a first posture or a second posture. It is noted that the switching gear is always meshed with a drive gear that is driven by the drive motor. When the switching gear slid by the carriage meshes with a first receiving gear or a second receiving gear having not been meshed with the switching gear, the switching gear needs to repeat slight forward and reverse rotation. This slight forward and reverse rotation disengages the switching gear from the first receiving gear or the second receiving gear having been meshed with the switching gear before the switching or meshes the switching gear with the first receiving gear or the second receiving gear. As a result, the drive gear is driven selectively for a first transmitter or a second transmitter, and the power transmission switching operation is completed. It is noted that the rotation of the first receiving gear is transmitted to the first transmitter that is meshed with the first sheet-supply roller while the rotation of the second receiving gear is transmitted to the second transmitter that is meshed with the second sheet-supply roller. In view of the above, the completion of the power transmission switching operation requires not only the slide of the carriage but also the forward and reverse rotation of the switching gear.